


Summer sun

by LadyRamora



Series: Coerthas snow [3]
Category: FFXIV, Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Fluff, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Other, flustered WoL, i am trash, slight angst, starstruck haurchefant, with bathin suits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2015-07-12
Packaged: 2018-04-08 22:35:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4323390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyRamora/pseuds/LadyRamora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haurchefant and the Warrior of Light take a mini vacation day in Costa del Sol. Haurchefant x Warrior of Light. Fluff with a pinch of angst. Attempts at humor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Summer sun

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Popoto](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Popoto/gifts).



> I'm not sure if Npcs use the aetherytes. Haurchefant has not in this. You can piggyback teleport in this because who cares, plot device. I am shameless. But I blame Popoto. Who gave me a prompt. Then everything changed when the plot bunnies attacked.

Summer Sun

You're sick of the cold. Snowball fights aside, you don't know how much longer you can stand it. Constant shivering, a tickle in the back of your throat, and a sniffle in your nose. 

You wonder how Lord Haurchefant lives like this. Did he not wish to take leave to a warmer location? 

You think longingly of Costa del Sol. It seems almost a veritable paradise compared to this endless winter. 

You think of the aether shards shifting around in your inventory bags. You could go. Just for a day. Mayhap you could take him with you? Surely Camp Dragonhead would survive a day without Lord Haurchefant behind a desk. 

It is with that thought in mind that you rush in from the cold, coming to stand in front of that very desk. 

Haurchefant stands in surprise, looking concerned. "My dear friend, what ails you?"  
He exclaims, arms spread wide in question.  
"The cold!" You blurt out. You flush in embarrassment, turning darker than the cold had already made you.

You didn't quite mean to blurt it out like that. You think as you clear your throat, starting again at a slower pace. 

"I'm going to Costa del Sol for the day." You explain, your heart constricting at the sight of his face falling at your words. Disappointment is an expression you never want to see on his face. 

"Ah, very well," He says, clearing his throat and resuming his seated position. "Verily glad am I there is nothing amiss. You will tell me of your trip when you return? I confess a great interest in your place of travel." He says, smoothing his expression from before into a calm smile.

You frown disapprovingly. He should never have to conceal his true feelings from you of all people. You thought the two of you closer than that. 

You sigh and shake your head. Stepping even closer to hos desk, you place your hands on it shoulder wide and lean in close to him. He blinks in surprise but does not back away from you. 

Did he always smell this nice? You wonder even as you say, "Come with me."

His reaction is a second slow to take, but soon a blinding grin has wiped that false smile from his face. "You truly wish me to join you?" 

You nod curtly. Why would you you lie? You've never lied to him before. You don't plan to start now. 

Still, he seems shocked that you even thought to ask him. Well, tell him. You didn't ask at all, did you? 

His eyes seem brighter that usual, almost like stars as he cheerfully exclaims, "Splendid! Glad am I to join you in your travels, my friend! When do you wish to take leave?" 

You give him time. Two hours should be enough for him to shift around his schedule. 

You tell him so. 

He nods, still delighted. "Pray, allow me to make adjustments and I shall meet you at the alloted time."

Two hours hence, you wait out front. What is the hold up, you wonder. He is a few minutes later than planned but you gladly wait for him. You'll not leave without him. 

You tilt your head to the side as you see him jogging up to you. In his hands he carries a package, an extra inventory bag you'd not seen before now strapped to his waist. 

"Pray, forgive my lateness." He beams, offering you the package in question with an extension of one arm. You reach out and take it, looking up at him with curious face. 

Is it just you or was his face rather flushed just now? 

"Ah, I had hoped for the chance to give you this at an earlier date. In a place quite like this, such things are difficult to come by. Somehow I was able to procure a set for both of us. It would please me greatly if you would wear it."

You clutch the package to your chest, nodding once with feeling. It is not often you receive something as a gift. Items from quests or bought with your own currency, yes. But a gift from such a friend you treasured? It was wonderful.

You answer his beaming smile with a bashful grin of your own. You hook the crisscrossing package strings to your inventory belt, stepping close into his space and holding out a hand. 

He stares down at the aetheryte shard in your hand with a bemused expression. "I'm afraid these shards of aether you carry are something I find myself unfamiliar with. You will explain or perhaps... show me?" He says, looking at you expectantly. 

You nod with a slight smile, stepping back with a finger held up indicating him to wait. He watches you with rapt attention. You map out the place you want to go in your mind, the familiar purple of teleportation magic swirling around you. You lock eyes with Haurchefant, tossing a wink his way before you disappear in a flash of purple light. You don't close your eyes until the very last moment.

You startle a worker half to death when you pop in front of them so suddenly. They gape at you wordlessly. You tilt your head at the tropical drink they're holding, sliding currency across the bar to pay for it. They hand you the drink. 

You blink at a merchant next to you, grabbing two pairs of sun glasses, and tossing them the appropriate amount of currency before you vanish back to Camp Dragonhead.

You land right where you left Haurchefant, holding the drink out to him and waggling your eyebrows above your new sun glasses. 

For a moment, he stares at you with silent astonishment. Then, "Stupendous! Pray, instruct me in the way to achieve such transportation."

With careful consideration, you tell him how you do it. He listens attentively. 

"So you say, once I attune to this Aetheryte plaza, I will be able to teleport there on my own?" You nod happily, glad he had understood. "But it is not unsafe for you to teleport the both of us, with only you knowing the way?" Haurchefant asks, seeming skeptical.  
You shake your head, your expression dead serious. You would never let anything bad happen to him if you could prevent it. 

"Were it any other, I would not trust them so. But you," he trailed off, simply smiling instead of finishing. "Let us go, then. We have a full day of adventure ahead of us, no?" He steps closer, holding out a hand. You grasp it, stepping into his space. You grab both of his hands, turning them over to coax them into a cupped position. 

You smile at him, opening your hand over his cupped palms to drop an aether shard, just for him, into his waiting hands. 

You hold your own pinched between your thumb and pointer finger. Flashing a grin, you drop that into his hands too, before placing your hands over his. 

He makes a soft sound, looking at you in wonder. "You mean to give me one of your shards to keep for my own?" He murmurs. 

You hum in agreement, giving his hands a soft squeeze. His eyes are soft. "My deepest thanks, my dear friend." 

You smile down at your hands as you focus your mind for teleportation. You like his expression too much just now. 

Purple aether swirls around both of your hands, swirling outwards to envelope you both in it's light. You wink at him, opening and closing one eye to make sure he closes his eyes too. He does, smiling all the way. 

You both disappear.

A patrolling knight blinks down at the strange drink sitting on the ground in the snow, out of place. With a shrug, he plucks it up, sips it, and walks away with it. 

When you arrive in Costa del Sol, you sigh in relief. Haurchefant drops down to sit after dropping both of the shards into your hands. You look down at him with worry. He sighs, waving away your fear with a weak grin, "Allow me some time. I feel quite out of sorts after such unique transportation." You shrug helplessly, plopping down next to him so close your shoulder and thighs brush. 

After a few moments of listening to him take deep breaths, you clasp his shoulder. He sighs softly, offering you a warm smile. "I am alright, no need to worry. I felt quite dizzy for a moment there." He stands, offering you a hand up. You take it hesitantly, afraid you'll pull him off balance. But he takes your weight easily, standing strong and sure like the knight he is, the dizziness completely gone as if it were never there at all. 

You motion to the tents set up for changing, unclipping the package from your waist. Haurchefant beams, "Perhaps now would be an ideal time for changing, yes? Pray, allow us both to change then we shall regroup at the refreshment bar." 

You step into the tent, the cool shade offering comfort from the blazing sun while wearing your armor meant for Camp Dragonhead. 

When you open the package, you at first think it is a mistake. There is so little fabric, you think Haurchefant must have grabbed the wrong package. It is with dread, your face flushing hotly, you realize it is not so. Pinched between your fingers is one of the skimpiest bathing suits you've ever seen. At least the bottom isn't a thong, is your only relief. 

For a second you think about not wearing it, but then you think of the disappointment on his face and change your mind. You'll wear it, you decide with a flustered sigh. At second glance you are sure you've seen some skimpier ones. Surely. There must be. 

You step out into the sunlight, glasses perched on you face, to see Haurchefant wearing a suit just as skimpy as yours. Wait, was that a leer? 

"You look... most splendid, my friend. In top form, might I add. But what else would you be, being as you are the Warrior of Light." 

Your skin burns with embarrassment, and you feel the urge to cover yourself. That sounded perverted. You feel naked under his gaze. 

He pushes his sunglasses on top of his head, holding out a hand to show you the sunblock he must have purchased at a vendor.

"My dear friend," He grins, siddling up to you. "Pray, allow me the honor of applying the appropriate precautions for when out in the sun?" You gulp, feeling cornered with that intense look in his eye. 

Against your better judgement, you give permission. It does not prepare you for the ice cold feeling of the lotion when it touches your skin. You jump, letting out a soft sound you refuse to admit was a squeak. 

"You are most endearing," Haurchefant says, his voice intimately close. You glance back at him, startled. His are dark like you've never seen them before. And all that focus is on you.

You duck your head, flattered at such attention. You're used to being addressed, made a hero out of, then promptly forgotten. Haurchefant is...different from everyone else.

You don't understand why you draw his attention like you do, but you find you like it. That you like him. He is probably the best friend you'll ever have. Perhaps more. But it is the more that scares you. 

You bask in his friendship, while shying away from the deeper feelings you suspect he has for you. That you suspect you have for him, in return. Because what if.

What if he is hurt. What if one of your enemies find out about him. Use him against you.

...What if he died? It would destroy you.

You brush away the dark thoughts you've drudged up when you feel Haurchefant's hands slide over your shoulders and down your back.

When his hands slide back up, to the back of your neck and over your shoulders, you place your hand over one of his. He pauses. You turn with a smile, grabbing the lotion at your feet and motioning with a twirl of your finger for him to turn around. He does. 

You're nice enough to use your body heat to warm the lotion before letting it touch his skin. You imagine he just likes watching your reactions. You spread the lotion all over his back, massaging his shoulders slightly as you pass over them. You smile at the rumble of his soft groan. He does seem rather tense. You tap his shoulder when you finish. He turns his head to look at you. You twirl your finger, he turns again. 

He is staring again. You duck his eyes by squeezing more lotion onto your hands. Your hands tremble faintly as you spread the lotion where his tiny shorts start. You snort, those shorts are ridiculous. 

His abdominal muscle tense as you pass over them. You brush over his chest, up his neck over his shoulders and down his arms. 

More lotion into your hands. With one hand cupped full of lotion, you paint his face with the other. Over his nose, his forehead, cheeks, chin and neck. His eyes bore into you, smoldering in their intensity. 

You can't avoid his gaze when you use both hands to pass over his exposed ears. You can't look away as his whole body shudders at your touch. Sensitive ears. 

You back away, wiping the excess lotion on his outstretched hand and taking the sunblock with you to do your own front. His voice is soft behind you."My thanks." You nod, unable to look at him.

You look back at him when you finish. He has walked a bit away from you, staring out at the sand and sea. His shoulders are tense again.

You're mad at yourself. You brought him here to have fun, to get away from the stress, and here you are hurting his feelings. 

You walk over to him, reaching out a hand to brush his shoulder. He looks at you. You're expression is apologetic, and his light; forgiving.

You walk along the beach together, the waves lapping up your legs. Digging your toes into the squishy sand, you walk side by side. You brush against each other as you walk, you're entertaining the thought of grabbing his hand when a giant crab pops out of nowhere.

Acting on instinct, you push Haurchefant behind you as you draw your weapon. The crab is snapping at you instantly, you kick one of its claws away from you, jabbing at one of its eyes.

You jump over flailing claws, hopping onto its back. You wedge the butt of your weapon into spaces between it's shell. You stab down hard. It shrieks, batting you off sharply. You stab out blindly as you fall, catching an eye again. 

You've hit both eyes now. It's blind. While it's distracted by pain, you land a killing blow. You pant softly, nudging it with your foot to make sure it's dead. It doesn't move.

You holster your weapon with a sigh, turning back to Haurchefant. He is sprawled on his backside, hands braced behind him and that look on his face again. The awestruck one, where his eyes look like stars. 

You frown, swiping sweat from your brow. You look down with a sigh. You're covered with a sheen of sweat. And is that? Yep. Blood, too. Looks like it caught you on its claws at one point. 

"Splendid! Such strength and grace. Such.. form!" Haurchefant crows, absolutely thrilled.  
Like a giant crab didn't just attack.

You laugh, exasperated. You don't quite understand how his brain works. You hope he never changes. You are rather smitten, you allow yourself to admit.

With an indulgent smile, you hold out a hand to help him up. He takes it with a happy laugh.

This time, as you walk side by side, back the way you came, you slip your fingers through his. He looks surprised , again. You like his surprise. You like his happiness even more. 

You want to see every expression he makes. 

"I rather like the summer sun," Haurchefant says. I like you. You want to say.

But now he is actually taking in the sights of Costa del Sol. He is enjoying himself. He is away from snow, stress, and the death in Camp Dragonhead. You watch him, enthralled.

You will tell him later.


End file.
